Lifestyle portraiture in Andalucia, Spain & travel photography in Seville

Last week we were lucky enough to go to sunny Spain for work - I was commissioned to photograph some family portraits for a lovely couple whose wedding I photographed a couple of years back.  I instantly got on really well with Fiona & Lee on their pre-wedding shoot at Cromer pier and their wedding a short while later at Chaucer Barn so I was really pleased to be asked to head over to their house in the mountains in Andalucia to do some family shots for them now that they had a new addition to their family - the gorgeous Amelia!I'm always one for making the most of every journey so we tacked on a couple of days in Seville before driving down to see Fiona, Lee & Amelia in the mountains of Andalucia.Wow!  Seville! What an incredible city.  I had found the hotel on an online Daily Telegraph travel article and we weren't disappointed.  About as central as you could possible get in the historic old quarter of Seville,  the Casa De Colon is a perfect base from which to explore the incredible architecture and tapas bars, about 30 seconds walk to the cathedral and only a couple more minutes to the stunning Alcazar.We started our first morning with a wander to the Alcázar, the Moorish royal palace and filming location for Game of Thrones (not that we watch it but apparently it's 'The Watergardens of Dorne' in the program).  I had no preconceptions of what we were about to see and it's fair to say we were both totally blown away by the beauty of the gardens, the architecture and the artwork/mosaics that fill this incredible place.  I'm not sure that my photos really do it justice but below are a few shots I took while walking round, mostly mouth agape, in awe at the spectacular views! After lunch (involving Iberico ham, yes, I am completely addicted to it, have been for years so coming to the region it originates from was just a massive bonus for me) we decided to take in Seville cathedral, which is apparently the third largest church in the world, over 600 years old and once again utterly awe-inspiring with great views of the city from the top of the bell tower... On Fiona's advice I had also booked myself & Leanne into the Aire ancient baths & spa for a 45 minute massage and to experience the various thermal pools.  It was a truly special experience that neither of us will forget, the massages were amazing but I think the highlight for both of us was the 'Floatarium' - a salt pool in which you can just lay back & float in the warm water.  Literally the most relaxing experience we've ever had.  After the pools & massages we were then lucky enough to head up to the rooftop pool to see the sun set over Seville, having the pool to ourselves was just a bonus.  What a perfect day!The below shot, taken at the rooftop pool (of Leanne looking very chilled out) is the only one in this post which was taken on my phone but the iphone 7 does a pretty good job and I don't think it looks too out of place amongst the pro dlsr shots!  Crazy really.The next morning while walking to get coffees we spotted tour guides selling Segway Tours of Seville so we grabbed our coffees and spent the next 90 minutes whizzing around on two wheels, seeing far more than we could have done on foot in the time we had.  It was great fun!After our Segway experience it was time to pick up the hire car & head into the mountains to Fiona & Lee's house.  The scenery and little villages in the mountain are so picturesque, I think we are going to have to head back in spring to see some more.  I took my latest drone (the DJI Mavic Pro) with us and got a few shots in the mountains plus some great footage of the many motorcyclists enjoying the winding roads & scenery. The final day we were there was shoot day so we headed to an amazing village in the mountains in view of Fiona & Lee's house, called Zahara.  Fiona's parents joined us for the shoot since they live out there a couple of hours drive away and we took a wander around the village & up to the castle at the top.  What a location!  And look at little Amelia in her sunglasses!!  Here's a handful of pictures from their shoot.  It was lovely to receive a thank you message from Fiona & Lee shortly after I sent them the link to their gallery: "WOW!!!!! Thank you, you're a genius. As with the wedding photos I can't put into words how much this means." I'd like to say a huge thank you to Fiona & Lee for making this trip possible, it was so good to take in the beautiful city of Seville and to see parts of Spain I had never seen before.  It's made me realise that there is so much more to Spain than the coast that so many of us seem to stick to.  It was also amazing to be able to spend time with Fiona, Lee & Amelia, we are already planning our next trip back there in 2018 to continue the adventure, watch this space!• Travel photography Spain • UK destination lifestyle portrait photographer • Portrait photography in Spain • Seville travel photography•